Recognized as the second-best all-girls high school in the United States, Palo Alto’s Castilleja School expansion plan would upgrade its facilities and allow the school’s population to increase.
After almost a decade-long delay, the much-adapted plan has finally been approved. While the building project will take some time to reach Paly’s backyard, it’s coming on the horizon as the three-year process is about to ensue.
As Castilleja is beginning this massive renovation process, newly resigned Head of Castilleja Nanci Kauffman confirms the school has devised a plan that requires the implementation of shuttles, bike programs, and other systems in an effort to satisfy the need for increased traffic congestion.
“Recently we submitted our Transportation Demand Management Plan, a plan [that] fulfills our obligations as outlined in our Conditional Use Permit,” Kauffman said.
As outlined in the Palo Alto City Council Strategy TDM report, if all goes according to plan, it would take around 3 years to be finalized. After this phase, Castilleja will move on to the building process and will take multiple years to be completed.
“I believe High School 9th graders are hopeful to have their senior year in the new facilities,” Kauffman said.
This process gives the school time to apply for all necessary permits, such as the Conditional Use Permit which provides flexibility in zoning ordinances.
“It [the plan] was thoroughly reviewed by city staff and we clarified every question,” Kauffman said “But neighbors would like to see the plan scrutinized further, so Council has not blessed the TDM plan yet.”
Despite this reassurance, Palo Alto High School Sophomore Marcello Attardi seems unmoved by these efforts to address neighbors’ concerns and believes that it’ll be difficult to satisfy every demand.
“I just think that it would be definitely really hard to have a plan that accounts for every traffic problem they are going to face,” Attardi said.
Attardi, who lives just across from Castilleja, feels like the plan is unnecessary given the school’s current campus.
“I feel like it [the plan] would be too much and there are other ways to physically have more kids to expand then their current plan,” Attardi said.
Attardi’s main concern is the impact on Paly, especially when commuting to school during rush hour.
“I always see a long line of cars on Embarcadero and I already know it [the expansion] will impact Paly kids trying to get to school,” Attardi said “I don’t know how [Castilleja] will manage that during rush hour.”
Despite worries, Slyvia Star-Lack, transportation planning manager for the City of Palo Alto, says that if they follow City’s bylaws, the school is well within their bounds to grow.
“Basically it’s the right of the property owner to do what they want with the property, as long as they don’t violate the city’s rules,” Star-Lack said.
Star-Lack said Castilleja’s plans to temporarily move all the sixth graders to the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in south Palo Alto.
“It’s always a disruptive time, for the kids especially, during construction so I think the school is trying their best given the difficult situation,” Star-Lack said.
Council Member Lythcott-Haims says that this challenge comes after a history with the school that has not always been fully positive.
“The larger context for you to be aware of is that, in the recent past, Castilleja enrolled more students than the City had agreed to,” Lythcott-Haims said. “It had been happening for years, and when the City learned of it, it led to an understandable lack of trust.”
Lythcott-Haims said that the false reports of student population are why the city and the surrounding residents have needed to exert more control than usual. Even with this revelation, Lythcott-Haims said the positive impact Castilleja has left on the Palo Alto community.
In spite of this, the Castilleja expansion will continue to move forward in the next couple of years after the TDM is approved by the city council.
“I believe that middle school students who will experience the new facilities would like to see them completed as soon as possible,” Kauffman said.